Hard to Breathe
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: 26 Tequa moments full of jealousy, joy, furtive glances, hormones, and more. Because one can't help but develope such strong feelings when you know each other for so long. Ch 14: In which Master Eraqus questions Terra's feelings for Aqua. Had it really been that obvious then? Maybe he should have been more careful when it came to teasing her affectionately...
1. Angle

**A/N: ****I don't own anything of Kingdom Hearts, only this one-shot, which takes place before, during, and after BBS. I already wrote one for Final Fantasy VII (Dirge of Cerberus), Final Fantasy VIII and Kingdom Hearts and I decided to write one for Birth By Sleep, too. Hope you like! This was my third Tequa story, but now there are more of them. :P **

**********************************************Special thanks: Aqua StormXIV and M. L. Ayala, my beta readers.**

**Edit: I decided to make seperate chapters/one-shots of each one of them, and expand each letter. This one takes place before Ven shows up. The sentences in italics at the start of each chapter are the sentences I had originally used, before I decided to make one-shots of them. Enjoy reading. ;)**

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_~ From this _**_angle _**_he was lucky enough to have a rather good view of her slender form, or more precisely, her blank skin and long legs. Would she get mad at him if she turned around and caught him gawking at her like that? That could be possible, but it didn't stop Terra. ~_

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**A. - Angle**

Finally, after what felt like ages, it was Sunday again, the day that both wielders of the Keyblade were free from tiring sparring matches and homework. It was needless to say that it was their favorite day of the week, even though it sometimes felt like there wasn't anything to do.

Aqua had asked him yesterday if he had any ideas for what they could do the next day. He had merely shrugged, because he honestly didn't care what they would do, as long as Aqua was with him.

_"Or would you rather spend some time alone, you know, for a change?"_she had asked him softly, not looking at him.

Terra had frowned at that, wondering where that had suddenly come from. A girl's mind sure worked strangely. They said the weirdest things at the most unexpected moments and Aqua was a great example of such girls.

_"Don't be silly. Why would I want that?"_Terra had said immediately.

Maybe it was some trick, or a joke. Maybe she wanted to test him, to see what answer he would have. He knew that girls did that a lot, especially to guys.

This time, though, it had been Aqua's turn to shrug.

_"I don't know. Maybe you're tired of me by now. I mean, I can't really blame you. We spend so much time together, while we're so different from each other. I love reading and you love...exercising."_

_"And you think I'm sick of being with you all the time?"_he had asked, with one raised brow.

_"Well...yes."_

He had sighed, wearily. Honestly, at times like these, he didn't get her at all.

_"Aqua, sometimes you are such a girl, always making things more complicated than necessary. Seriously, don't you think that if I had minded being with you, I would've opened my mouth in the past few years?"_Aqua had opened her mouth to say something, but Terra didn't let her, as he continued,_"Do_you_want to spend some time alone?"_

_"What? No, of course not. I just...never mind, actually. It doesn't matter."_

_"Yes, it does. Aqua, don't go easy on me if you don't want me to do something with you. I promise I won't get mad at you, or start crying."_

Aqua's eyes had widened, instantly.

_"N-no! That's not it. I really didn't mean it that way. I was only wondering...well...okay, could we forget about this, please?"_she had asked, with a rather awkward smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

_"Sure, even though I still can't believe what you were thinking,"_Terra had replied, with a teasing tone.

_"I'm sorry."_

Terra had only shaken his head. It was so like Aqua to say sorry for no reason at all.

_"You don't have to be sorry, Aqua. You didn't even do-"_he had stopped, when an idea had struck his mind._"You know what, since you have to make it up to me for your actions, you can decide what we're gonna do tomorrow."_

Aqua had frowned slightly, looking confused. That look made Terra's heart beat even faster.

_"What do you mean? Wouldn't it be fair if you-"_

_"And no discussions!"_Terra had interrupted her, sounding determined.

Aqua had smiled sweetly at that.

_"If you insist."_

Terra had been about to say something, when Master Eraqus had showed up from nowhere (he was really good at that), telling them that lunch was ready.

* * *

Terra kind of regretted that he had let her decide what they would do today, because she had brought him to the lake that was near the castle and the forest. He should've known that, of course.

Aqua had taken off her boots, armor, stockings, fingerless gloves and other piece of clothes that stood in the way. She was only dressed in her black and blue high-collar halter-top and shorts now, standing with her back turned to Terra in the almost waist-deep water. Terra hadn't followed her example, nor was he planning to do so, simply because he felt more at ease when he had land under his feet.

Terra was following every move that Aqua made with his eyes, intently. At first, he hadn't even noticed what he was doing, but now that he had realized this, he didn't - no,_couldn't_- look away from her anymore.

From this angle he was lucky enough to have a rather good view of her slender form, or more precisely, her blank skin and long legs. Would she get mad at him if she turned around and caught him gawking at her like that? That could be possible, but it didn't stop Terra.

According to Terra, he wasn't one to blame. Every guy would probably take his time to look at her. She was_beautiful_, after all. Besides, if she caught him staring at her, then he could always use the excuse that he was watching her because he didn't want her to slip and drown, right?

"Terra, are you going to join me, or do I have to get you into the water with force?" she asked, half jokingly.

Terra blinked. Aqua's voice made him snap back into reality. Damn, he hadn't been paying attention at all, and even Aqua had noticed that.

"Uhm, I'd rather stay here..."

_...And watch_, he thought, finishing the sentence in his head.

What, he was a guy, after all. So one couldn't blame him for this one, either.

Aqua sighed, exasperatedly, and made her way back to him. However, she used her magic as she did so, which made her look like she was gliding through the water. Terra's mouth almost dropped open at that moment, but he caught himself right on time.

When Aqua had reached him, she took a hold of his hand, pulling him up on his feet. Terra eyed her, suspiciously. He had a hunch what she was trying to do.

"What are you doing?" Terra asked, as she pulled him with her back to the water.

"What does it look like I'm doing? My parents once told me that if pleading doesn't help, then I have to use force."

Terra was sure that her parents didn't mean it this way, especially when a guy was involved.

"Aqua, look-"

"I hope you didn't think that I came here to have fun on my own, because then I'm afraid I'll have to get mad at you," Aqua said, interrupting him.

"But-"

"And no excuses. You said I had to make it up to you, but that's only possible if you work along, too."

Terra shook his head when she used his own words against him. He sighed.

"Alright, I'll do as you please, but before you throw me into the water with force, can I take off my gloves and such first?"

Aqua smiled and nodded.

"Sure. Go ahead."

Terra did this as slow as he could, but he couldn't prevent what Aqua wanted him to do.

* * *

Even though Terra still didn't really like water, he couldn't deny the fact that it had been a great day. This was one of the last weekends they would spend alone, because the next day, their Master introduced them to Ventus.

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**A/N: Thanks for ****reading! Hope you liked it. And only 25 chapters to go. Reviews are very appreciated. :) Also, this is my 9th entry for Bookaholic711's Project PULL.**


	2. Breathe

**A/N: Thanks for the many reviews so far! :) This takes place after the events in Olympus Coloseum.**

**********************************************Special thanks: Aqua StormXIV and M. L. Ayala, my beta readers.**

**Edit: I decided to make seperate chapters/one-shots of each one of them, and expand each letter. The sentences in italics at the start of each chapter are the sentences I had originally used, before I decided to make one-shots of them. Enjoy reading. ;)**

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_~ Sometimes, an emotion was so overwhelming that one couldn't **breathe.** The very same thing happened to Terra whenever he saw her, but it also occured when the darkness surrounded him like a thick blanket, licking his bare skin with their icy tongues, and almost suffocating him. ~_

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**B. - Breathe**

This was the umpteenth world Terra had come accross to. It didn't even matter to him where he was now. Every place had the same moral. His thoughts were elsewhere, anyway. (Take a guess who his thoughts involved at this moment.)

Sometimes, an emotion was so overwhelming that one couldn't **breathe** anymore**.** Believe it or not, but this feeling was not new to Terra, because the very same thing happened to him whenever he saw _her._ However, it also occured when the darkness surrounded him like a thick blanket, licking his bare skin with their icy tongues, and almost suffocating him.

Figuratively speaking, of course (although it certainly didn't feel that way most of the time).

As strange as it sounded, Terra didn't know which of these two feelings scared him more. On the other side, he didn't want that other feeling to stop, the feeling he always associated with Aqua.

Sometimes, he wondered if other guys felt the same when they were with Aqua. Ven, for example. He seemed to like Aqua just as much as he did. But not more. At moments like that, the suffocating feeling reached a whole new level. It was so bad, that his eyes got teary and a massive headache started to form.

This brought him to the next conclusion: Aqua was the fault of everything. Not only of his breathing difficulties, but the fact that he was in this mess, too. She was the one that fueled the Darkness in his heart more and more.

After all, in the end she was the one who had become a Master, which made Terra feel useless. He was the oldest. Wasn't he supposed to protect his best friends? Now it was the other way around. In a nut-shell, thanks to her, he had both physical, as well as mental pain. He was used to the former, but the latter was a real torture. It was something he couldn't get used to, no matter how hard he tried. The pain always managed to take him by surprise and twist his insides painfully.

And still, he couldn't forget about her. Practically all his thoughts were always centered around that blue-haired young woman. He even dreamed about her on a daily basis. Given, not all his dreams were pleasant. Sometimes when he woke up after a nightmare about her, he was drenched in his own sweat, and his heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was about to explode...

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**A/N: Thanks for ****reading! Hope you liked it.**


	3. Connection

_~ When people asked him what the star-shaped lucky charm was, he always answered with, "It's a **connection** with my friends." In fact, this was only a symbol of this connection, because the real one was with their hearts. ~_

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**C.** - **Connection**

An unintentional sigh escaped Terra's lips, as his gaze shifted back to the endless horizon, full of unknown enemies and sinister mysteries. The sky and the sea were reflected in his cobalt blue eyes.

The palmtrees around him, most of them filled with the star-shaped fruit which Aqua had once told him about, waved gently in the wind. The sky had turned a soft orange, with even softer shades of red and pink here and there.

It was a breath-taking sight, especially because the sun seemed to disappear right into the sea, slowly dropping into the water to cool off for a while, only to rise out of it in a few hours again. He vaguely acknowledged that it smelled of fish here. Too bad there was nobody else to share this with, because as always, Terra was all alone.

It didn't matter, though, because he was pretty much used to it by now. He was sitting on a tree on the beautiful beach, in the Destiny Islands, watching the sunset. It was something that always made him feel calm and... whole, ever since he had watched that memorable sunset with Aqua, years ago. That was short before they got to know Ven. They had even waited until it was all dark around them and all the stars had appeared in the ink black sky, the one blinking brighter than the other. How he missed those times, but he knew that he couldn't go back anymore. Nothing would probably be the way it was before... Everything had changed...

He had to admit that it was quite peaceful here, and very silent. (Not that he minded that much. As of lately, he liked silence more than crowded places. He had no idea why, though.) That was probably because the inhabitants of this world saw this as a 'play island' for their children.

At least, that was what he had concluded from what that boy - what was his name again? Sora? Riku? - had said. The only sound he was hearing were the sea that crashed unmercifully against the rocks in the surf, and some sea gulls.

He sighed wearily, thinking about the important events that had happened these days. For instance, yesterday, when someone asked him something about his Wayfinder. What it was and where he had bought that. He had given him the same response as he had given others, too.

The funny thing was that when people asked him what exactly the star-shaped lucky charm was, he always answered with, "It's a **connection** with my friends."

In fact, this was only a symbol of this connection, because the real one was much deeper. The three of them had made this connection with their hearts, but he was sure that not all people would understand that.

He just hoped that this connection would bring the three of them back together again, when everything was over. Terra couldn't bear the thought of never seeing the hyper Ven again... and Aqua...

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**A/N: A review is very appreciated. :)**


	4. Dream

**A/N: It's been months since I've updated this! D: But this might come as good news to some of you: since the previous two chapters were a little sad, I decided that this one would have a little bit more Te(r)qua in it and to make it up to you for the slow updates, I made this one almost six times longer than the previous chapter :)**

**********************************************And let me make good use of this moment and thank everyone who reviewed, alerted or favorited this so far (I wonder why I didn't do that before...): ShinobiMatt, Kisdota-The Freak Gamer, PiggyBlue, Dream Adept, BloodyAphrodite, Spiritual Wolf, Respect the Hobos, Daughter-of-Light13, Terra ForceXIII, xAshbellax, idunno, WhiteFoxNinja, MonMonCandie, zenbon zakura, JackDarkStone, Amulet Misty, XxX-SparklingEyes-XxX, ireneotaku, Atem's Sister Atea, Jasper and Onyx, neko-neko-aishizu, ScribbleX3, XIII-Jinx-XIII, Axrat, Chaos9206, Crimson. Haven, DarkangelGuard77, DarkxRosex24, Dikemon, DreamSeerXIII, Emo-Chan the Awesome, eolhcsullivan452, kristyl lilow, marshmallow7, Merus Asariel Knight, metalchocobo13, Negative2digit, Nobody'sHeart, Polaroid Fixation, SasuSaku007, ShadowAthems, YouNuhCorn, xXnuhakuXx, Aqua StormXIV and last, but certainly not least, M. L. Ayala, my 2 beta readers.**

**********************************************That's a long list. XD Anyways, happy reading! ;D And hopefully, Terra isn't too OOC...**

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_~ Their **dream** was to become Keyblade Masters. That wasn't Aqua's biggest dream, though. When she realized what she wanted the most, she put her hand on her heart, trying to concentrate on something else rather than Terra's sleeping form. ~_

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**D.** - **Dream**

"Why that _little_..." Terra growled angrily, making fists of his hands.

He clenched and unclenched them several times, his knuckles becoming white at the action. He was _this_ close to smashing the wall a couple of times. Not that it would help a thing, but he would probably feel a lot better afterwards… if he hadn't damaged the wall, that is, because Master Eraqus wouldn't exactly like that. It seemed that sometimes he didn't know his own strength.

It wasn't that he didn't have any words to describe _him_. He was more afraid of the fact of what would happen if he did use one of those extraordinarily fitting words. Aqua surely wouldn't like it, since it wasn't really something _nice_ to say, anyway. She had already wacked him over the head with a heavy book once (it hurt a hell of a lot, because she had used the heaviest dictionary in this place. Why she was reading the dictionary at that moment was another question...), telling him not to cuss like that. He had been extra careful with his words when he was around her ever since.

He had been watching the blond's interaction with Aqua for a while now, but he simply couldn't take it anymore. It became too much for him to see how the blue-haired young woman only had eyes for that little brat. Or how her cerulean blue eyes shimmered brightly of joy whenever he would tell her something _oh so funny_. The guy had no sense of humor at all. Aqua was probably just feeling sorry for him, that was why she was laughing; she was forcing herself to do so.

It just wasn't fair anymore how Aqua totally seemed to have forgotten about Terra himself. It was as if he didn't exist for her anymore, as if he was made out of thin air, invisible for the eye. Okay, maybe that was a little exaggerated, but it certainly felt as if she cared more about Mr. "_Look-at-me-I'm-so-happy-go-lucky-that-every-girl-has-to-find-me-adorable_!" than she did about him. Honestly, what was _wrong_ with her?

_No, don't go down that road again. She's a girl, that's reason enough for her to act so... unbelievably weird_, he thought, grumpily.

To be honest, ever since Ventus - he flatout refused to call him _Ven_ like she did - had set foot on this castle, everything had gone wrong. Not only did he barely spend time with Aqua alone (she always insisted on asking Ventus to come with them, so he wouldn't feel left out. It was maddening, really), but he always got the fault for everything that went wrong, too. He bet that even their first meeting had been an act somehow, so he would look like some idiot in front of Master Eraqus, and more importantly, in front of Aqua.

"'Kay. See ya, Aqua," he then heard Ven saying.

Thank heavens he had closed the door a little bit earlier. Terra didn't need to see that stupid look on his stupid face (it was beyond his knowledge why Aqua thought that he looked cute...).

"Good luck!" Aqua called, and he heard how a set of footsteps became softer and softer, indicating that someone was walking away.

Terra just lied down on his bed when there was a soft knock on the door.

_This had better not be him or things might not turn out nice for one of us_... he thought.

He frowned slightly, as he asked in a flat voice, "Who's there?"

_"It's me, Aqua. Can I come in?"_

A soft, surprised sound unintentionally escaped the male when he heard that melodious voice from the other side of his bedroom door. This, he certainly hadn't expected. Instantly, his heart started beating faster, but that wasn't new to him; it always happened when something involved the blue-haired Keybearer.

After running a hand through his dark, slightly spiky hair to make it look somewhat more presentable, he cleared his throat and replied, "Yeah, sure."

His bedroom door opened exactly at the same time when Terra sat up on his bed. After all, if there was one thing that Aqua didn't like, it was lazy people.

"Hey," Aqua greeted with a sincere smile, despite the fact that they had seen each other less than an hour ago.

This came as another surprise for him.

"Uh, hi," was the brunet's short reply.

Instantly, Aqua sensed that something wasn't right with him. It wasn't only her feeling that told her that, but the small frown that was evident on his face, too. Even his eyes looked slightly different, clouded. But maybe that was just the lighting here.

"What's wrong?" she inquired, slightly worried.

Her pure blue eyes were making him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Nothing, just a headache," he half-lied, because as if on cue, his head started pounding irritably right that moment, making him wince.

He looked away, hoping that she would take the silent hint he was giving her and leave him alone, but it was in vain. Instead, Aqua closed the bedroom door behind her and made her way to him. She took a place next to him on the bed, which creaked a little as a sign of protest. It sagged slightly under her weight, too, but neither of them paid attention to that.

"That's too bad. Do you know the reason behind it?" she asked, brushing his bangs out of his face, almost absent-mindedly.

Terra just let her be, as he replied, "...Not really."

"Oh... Well, I think I know something that might help," she said, softly, as her gaze slowly travelled from his hair to his eyes.

Terra knew that she was waiting for an answer, or any reaction coming from him at all.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw that she was looking at him. "What is it?" he asked, still not facing her.

Aqua visibly hesitated for a short moment, before she said, "Sit down over there."

She pointed to the black, comfortable swivel chair in his room near his desk. Terra gave her a questioning look, but she only smiled at him. With a slight shrug, he got up from his spot and did as he was told.

When he sat down, he turned back to her again. "And now?"

"Just close your eyes and relax," was the simple answer.

The brunet male rolled his cobalt-colored eyes and closed them, waiting patiently for what would happen next. It didn't matter that she was a girl, if she would try and tickle him again like last time, then he wouldn't hesitate to fight back with all his force. He suppressed a smile when he thought about that day.

He could hear how Aqua got up from the bed as well, slowly walking towards him. Then, she stopped behind him and it was all silent in the room. Terra wondered what she would do next. What he didn't expect to happen, though, was to feel her soft hands on his head, pressing his forehead very lightly. He almost jumped at the tender, feather light touch that startled him. What in the world was she doing?

He opened his blue eyes again, albeit with more difficulty this time. "Uh, Aqua? What is-"

"I just thought that a head massage could help here. You seem a little tense, too."

"Oh..."

Maybe she was right. It could help him and he had nothing to lose trying it, right? And how could he not be tense when she was around him?

"Do you want me to quit?" she asked, her voice unbelievably neutral.

_She must've felt my discomfort_, Terra mused.

Well, it did feel quite nice, so he wasn't going to tell her to stop. That would've been the most stupid thing for him to do, since he didn't get a chance like this every day.

"No."

Terra could practically hear her smile at his response. He didn't open his eyes to check if his suspicions were true.

"What's the catch?" he wondered, running his fingertips over the back of her hand.

"Catch?" Aqua lifted a delicately plucked eyebrow, not stopping with kneading his forehead gently as she continued, "There is no _catch_. I'm only trying to make you feel better."

Really now? Then she certainly knew how to achieve that, because even though this was all very new to him - Aqua had never given him a massage before and he couldn't help but wonder what had made her do so now. Whatever it was, he would thank the gods for it later - he couldn't deny that he was enjoying it. She had just started, but her fingers were already doing wonders to him. Her touches were light, quite uncertain at the beginning, but certainly effective. He soon found himself lost in his own thoughts...

"Why do you keep calling him Ven?" he suddenly heard himself ask, before he could stop himself.

Instantly, Terra bit his tongue and mentally face-palmed, cursing himself for being so inattentive (admittedly, she just had that effect on him, but that didn't mean that he should give up resisting and just give in!). Just great. Now she would probably ask him why he wanted to know that and then he had to lie to her again.

"I don't know. I guess it just sounds catchy and he said he didn't mind it when I did so the first time."

Of course, it was so typical of that little brat to make himself look so innocent and pure in front of her, so Aqua would only like him more. Another part of his brain told him that it was nonsense the way he was thinking. It made no sense whatsoever. However, he chose to ignore that nagging little voice for now.

"But you never give other people nicknames, so why him?" he demanded. "What makes him, let's say, more special than...than other people, like Master Eraqus for example?"

Aqua blinked a couple of times, obviously perplexed at his choice of words. "Master Eraqus, huh?"

_Why did he suddenly start about Master Eraqus? Sometimes, I really have no idea what's going on in his mind. Hmm... _Aqua thought, frowning lightly.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you know him much longer than you know Ventus, right?" he said, trying to explain himself.

Well, she knew Terra longer than Ven, too, but that didn't mean-

Just wait a minute...

When the blue-haired teenager realized what the problem was, though, she couldn't help but smile. It wasn't that hard to guess that he actually had wanted to ask why _he_ didn't have a nickname like Ven did. Terra was jealous of Ven... Who had thought that would ever happen?

"I know. That's because I respect Master Eraqus's name too much to change it. Besides, I like his name... and there is no fitting nickname that sounds better than 'Terra,' don't you think?"

She had let his name slip deliberately, just to see how he would react. At once, he jerked his head away from her and looked up at her, his cobalt blue eyes narrowing suspiciously and boring into her cerulean ones.

"What is it... Terra?" she asked, quasi curiously, a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Uh, nothing." He lied down again, his cheeks burning hot. He knew she had said his name on purpose, guessing what he had actually meant with his words. "Where is he now, anyway?"

"Who, Master Eraqus or Ven?" she asked, still smiling innocently.

Too innocently... By now, he was seriously thinking that she was just teasing him.

He sighed. "...Ven."

"Oh, he has an extra training session with Master Eraqus to see what he's learned so far, so I guess we're alone until dinner."

"I see..."

That actually sounded great. Terra could hardly remember when they had been all alone for the last time.

"I was thinking about doing something together when you feel good again," she admitted.

That sounded even better. The thought of being alone with her made his heart beat faster.

"That's fine," he said calmly, although his heart was hammering in his chest in pure excitement. "But what about Ven?"

"Ven will probably be far too tired to join us by the time he's done with the training session. Besides, we haven't spent any time together without him for ages and I kind of miss that."

_Yes, and whose fault exactly was that_, he couldn't help but think, although his features softened.

Whatever the case, he was more than glad that she had realized this, too. There was no need to get mad at her.

Aqua continued to massage his head in silence and Terra didn't know what else to say, so he decided to stay silent. After a while, though, the magician noticed how Terra's chest was rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. Terra was breathing deeply in and out. Apparently, the massage had been so relaxing to him that he had fallen asleep from it. She smiled, because this indicated that she had done her job more than just fine.

Terra had changed ever since Ven had woken up from his long coma. Aqua should slap her forehead as to how oblivious she had been all this time. She had been so intent on making Ven feel at home that she completely forgot about Terra's feelings. Now he was the one who was feeling like the third wheel, and for what? Sure, she liked Ven, a lot. He was the perfect little sibling material and she had always wanted to have a cheerful and hyper younger brother like him, but Terra... she didn't think she could ever live without him. She was used to having him near her 24/7 and she would never want that to change. His sadness was her sadness as well.

She had hurt Terra's feelings in her ignorance. That was beyond forgivable. And yet... he never mentioned that to her, probably because he didn't want to make her feel guilty or maybe upset her. Why was he always so sweet and thoughtful?

Aqua sighed, as her thoughts kept going on about the sleeping brunet male in front of her. She and Terra were so alike sometimes that it was scary. They shared the same interests, whether it was about music or food. They even shared the same dream.

The most important **dream** they shared was to become Keyblade Masters, together. That wasn't Aqua's biggest dream, though. When she realized what she wanted the most, something she had known all along, but had ignored it for everyone's sake, she put her hand on her heart, trying to concentrate on something else rather than Terra's sleeping form.

She looked away, feeling how a newly formed blush started to spread over her cheeks.

Looking at Terra again, she walked around the chair and bent over it slightly, her face coming closer and closer to his until it was only an inch apart.

Maybe she should leave now, before she would do something stupid and regret it later... Yes, that was the best thing to do.

Noiseless, she got up and swiftly left Terra's bedroom, leaving him to rest.


	5. Easier

**A/N: As you can all tell soon, I didn't have much inspiration for an extension for this.**

**********************************************An extra thank you to: AmuletMisty, Mikichan21, Terra ForceXIII, MonMonCandie, and M. L. Ayala, my beta.**

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~ _Even when she learned that there was darkness in his heart, she still believed in his light. Even when she heard that he had been the one who had killed Master Eraqus, she smiled at him and stayed at his side. Why? Because she loved him. If only Terra could see that, too, then things would get a tiny bit **easier. **_~

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**E.** - **Easier**

Aqua put her head in her hands, slowly letting out the breath she had been holding for so long. Her blue bangs fell in front of her. She hardly noticed that it was slowly getting dark outside and that the first stars shyly showed up in the sky, saying their first hello. Not even that sight could make her feel better this time. It felt as though her head was at least twice as heavy as it normally was and if she didn't let it rest, it may even fall off her neck at one point. She just didn't get it, no matter how much she thought about the matter. Was Terra blind, or was it just a case that he didn't want to admit the truth? Was he ignoring her on purpose, or had he actually no idea? She had thought that she had given him the most subtle hints, but he never acknowledged her. Perhaps he still didn't trust her, _couldn't_ trust her somehow... But hadn't she proven enough to him already? What more could she do to make him sure that she wouldn't abandon him?

After all, even when she learned that there was darkness in his heart (which was a big shock in itself), she still believed in his light and told him not to give up on that. Even when she heard that he had been the one who had killed Master Eraqus, she smiled at him and stayed at his side, trying to assure him as much as she could that everything would be alright again, if not now then later. Why? The answer couldn't be any simpler. She did all of this because she loved him. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't done so. If only Terra could see that, too, then things would get a tiny bit **easier. **Enough for him to believe.

But no, Terra never noticed anything, not even if it was practically dancing naked in front of his eyes, and even when he did, he didn't seem to care enough to say something about the matter and that was slowly driving her crazy, twisting her insides painfully. It made her feel that it didn't matter how hard she tried, because everything she did was wrong in his eyes.

Maybe she should give up...


	6. Fruit

**A/N: This chapter is for Starry Requiem, one of my favorite writers on this site. Happy Birthday! :D Hope you'll like this. I thought it kinda fit your penname, too. :P**

**Thanks************************************************: Terra ForceXIII, MonMonCandie, Amulet Misty, DestinyCrusader, shadow1123456789, CloudKittyVII, Kojishirou, and M. L. Ayala, my beta.**

* * *

~ _He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the yellow object near his feet. He grabbed the thing to get a better look at it, recalling Aqua's words, "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped **fruit**…" He started to wonder what would happen if he shared this fruit with a certain blue-haired mage._ ~

* * *

**F. - Fruit**

Terra was in the Lanes Between, when he sensed something strange. For a moment, he forgot that he was sitting on his Keyblade Glider, as a deliciously warm feeling seeped through his armor, at the same time when a soft golden light appeared ahead of him.

He hadn't felt something like this for quite a while now. "This light...it's so warm," he muttered, sounding less surprised than he actually was at the moment.

The brunet male didn't bother to stop, or turn around and flee. To be honest, he was curious as to where the light would be taking him. Wherever it was, he was sure that it would look like a paradise. He held his breath as he entered the almost blinding white light and came into another world...

Now that he could finally see again, he became aware of his surroundings. He was what seemed to be on a deserted, yet still beautiful island. The picture was complete; there was sand, and water, as far as the eye could see. There were even palm trees that were swaying gently back and forth in the soft wind.

The sand crisped under Terra's feet whenever he would step on a piece of a broken sea shell. He paid no further attention to it, though, rather listening to the serene singing of some stray seagulls in the background, mixed with the sound of the waves crashing against rock. It had a calming effect on his nerves. A nice, gentle breeze was in the air, making him look up at the sky. Now that the sun had started to set, the sky was filled with a spectrum of the most beautiful colors imaginable, from a ruby red to purple-ish blue, mixed together at some places. The brunet male had to admit that he liked this world. There was something peaceful about it, which reminded him of the Land of Departure. Only now, he was surrounded by water and standing on sand. He was sure that Aqua and Ven would love this world. Thinking of them made the ache in his heart return.

The Earthen warrior closed his eyes for a moment, loving how the wind made his hair brush against his cheeks. It felt like a soft caress. With a little bit imagination, he could even pretend that those were Aqua's warm and soft fingers, brushing his brown hair out of his face...

The instant that he felt a strange, unfamiliar noise, coming from in front of him, his cobalt blue eyes shot open, ready to attack and defend himself if he had to.

However, there was nothing... except for the smell of fish, but that was nothing new.

For a short moment, he looked around, searching for anything suspicious. He seemed to be clueless, praying that Unversed hadn't found out how to become invisible. That was the last thing he needed to face today. When he chose to look down, however, everything became clear to him. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the yellow and green object near his feet, in the water. It was as though the ocean had decided to give him a gift that he would not forget about soon. He bent forward and extended his left hand, grabbing the thing to get a better look at it. The salty water dripped down over his hand, but he paid no attention to it. It looked like it was a cross between a mango and an orange, but slightly bigger and heavier than both of them.

While getting his Wayfinder out of his right pocket, Terra had no problem with recalling Aqua's words, "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit…"

The funny thing was that the bronze star-shaped Wayfinder that the blue-haired Master had made for him, looked a lot like this fruit in his other hand, proving that Aqua had based the concept on what she had heard, about this fruit. The brunet couldn't help but look around, from his right to his left, trying to find that particular tree. It had to be close by, because how else would this fruit get to him just like that?

His cobalt blue eyes widened when he finally spotted what he was looking for. His hands were shaking slightly, as his heart started to beat faster at the sight. So the legend was true? The tree with star-shaped fruit really existed and it bore even more fruit.

At once, he started to wonder what would happen if he shared this fruit with a certain blue-haired mage.

Would she let him if he asked her, was one of the first questions that crossed his mind. How would she react on it if he showed her one? Knowing Aqua, she would be more than delighted with it. It would even make her eyes shimmer from joy. It was almost adorable how little there was needed to make her incredibly happy. Well, there was only one way to find out what she would say to him. He would get one of those fruits for her and go search for her to give her what she wanted. Something told him that she would really appreciate that gesture from him. Perhaps she would even go far enough to hug him, or kiss him on the cheek. With that in mind, he started heading to the tree, excitement filling his body once again.

At one point, he had to go through a dark hallway behind a wooden door, but he didn't mind it that much. The sound of his footsteps told him that he was all alone, which was a good thing. However, for one reason or another, that just made him think of his best friends even more...

_Aqua... Ven..._ he thought, as he clutched his Wayfinder in his hand, feeling the shape of it against his skin. _I wonder if we'll ever be a team again. Looks like all the things that once held us together just push us further away. And now the light has led me here. What am I supposed to do?_

* * *

**A/N: From now on, updates will be even slower than usual. Uni's fun, but it's a lot of studying. :( Hah, and did you notice how he always thinks about Aqua first when he thinks of his friends? That has to mean something, right? ...Right?**


	7. Girly

**A/N: This was originally chapter 54 of my "100 Fish in the Sea." But this time, I decided to write in Terra's POV. It's nothing special, but I hope you'll still enjoy it. :)**

**Thanks************************************************: Amulet Misty, MonMonCandie, Starry Requiem, gotaluvpenguins, DestinyCrusader, Jullo8, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my beta reader.**

* * *

~ _Even though Aqua had grown up with boys, she had some pretty **girly **traits. Terra didn't mind that, though, for that was one of the things he liked so much about her._ ~

* * *

**G. - Girly**

Terra sighed wearily, as he flipped through the pages of his favorite magazine. Saying he was bored was the understatement of the century. Aqua and Ven had gone shopping together and Master Eraqus was busy with... whatever duties kept him occupied as Master.

The only reason he hadn't gone with his friends was because he knew how much of a pain it was. Shopping with a girl was one thing. Experience taught him that it was a torturous process. But for some reason or another, shopping with_ Ven_ was at least a hundred times worse. The annoying thing was that she seemed to be dragging Ven into every girly thing she did. Sometimes, the brunet really felt as if he was standing alone. Especially when it came to voting for something; Ven would always choose Aqua's side, no matter the subject. It was maddening, really.

A soft knock on the door interrupted Terra's current train of thoughts. "It's open!" he called, looking up.

His bedroom door opened just as softly, only to reveal Aqua, standing in the doorway. So she was back. That was much faster than he'd expected.

"Hey," she greeted him with a radiant smile (which made his heart skip a beat).

"Hey there." Terra sat up now, facing her. "How did your shopping go?"

Aqua's smile widened instantly, causing his breath to hitch. He fervently hoped that she hadn't noticed that.

"Oh, it was great! I only needed a new shirt and mascara, but I ended up buying so much more," she admitted.

"What a surprise," he muttered, sarcastically. It was true what they said; when boys went for shopping (if that ever happened in the first place), they would spend thirty bucks for that one thing that they needed. When girls went shopping, they would spend fifteen Munny for five items that they didn't need. Why couldn't girls just get what they needed and come home? That would make things so much easier. But no, of course they had to go in all the shops and look at stuff that they didn't even want to buy.

It was then that he noticed all the bags in her hand. "Ah, I see that poor Ven had a lot of work to do, carrying all those shopping bags."

The blue-haired teen rolled her eyes. "Well, if that really worries you, then maybe it's better not to bring anything for you with us next time."

That caught his attention. "You got something for me, too?"

The surprise was more than evident in his voice, making her laugh.

"Why, of course. Did you really think we would forget all about you? Terra, I'm so disappointed," she replied, jokingly.

The brunet male snickered, an amused look appearing on his face. He took the shopping bag that she handed over to him and opened it. Inside of it, he found two shirts, one black, the other a deep navy, as well as a bag of multicolored Gummi bears. He looked up at her perplexedly.

"Your favorite kind of candy, right?" Aqua asked, azure eyes taking in his confused features.

"Yeah... Thanks."

"You're welcome. Well, I'm going to put these heavy bags in my room. I'll be right back," she announced.

"Okay."

He watched her retreating back, being unable to hide the smile on his face. This was just so like her, always thinking of her friends, putting their needs far above her own. It was one of the things he loved most about the mage. The small gestures gave him hope that someday she would start to notice his feelings for her and-

An eardrum-piercing shriek smashed through his thoughts, making him wince. Faster than ever, he bolted from his seat and headed to Aqua's room, the obvious source of the sound, almost walking into the door, and a wall in his hurry to get to her. They had been trained for situations like these for years and he was ready.

When he finally found her he looked around. There were no monsters in the neat, blue room; no indications of a fight or ambush, no wounded or dead bodies. Aqua was alone in her room and she looked untouched, if he didn't count that petrified look on his face, that is.

"Aqua, what-"

"S-spider! Make him go away," she whimpered, pointing at the arachnid from a safe distance in a corner, hands trembling.

Terra smirked, stepping forward to get a better look. Of course, he should've known that it would be something like this that would make her scream.

Aqua could kick anyone's butt with one spell and defeat the most dangerous monsters but she feared spiders more than anything in the world.

Why, he didn't know, but it sure was hilarious. She always called him for help if she spotted one. He didn't mind. After all, this was the only time he could play the hero and impress her.

After shaking his head at the silliness of all of this, he bent forward to capture the spider, careful, as not to hurt it. "Oh, you mean this _cute_ creature?" he asked, holding it closer to her face, but still at least a foot away so it wouldn't scare her.

The distance didn't help a thing, though, because Aqua started yelling immediately, giving him as close to a dark look as she could create. She backed further away, until she stood against the door, before fleeing her room.

The brunet male smirked again. He calmly walked towards her open window and let the spider crawl to freedom. The poor thing, by the looks of it, the spider had been more scared than Aqua. It wasn't that strange, for girls could be really scary sometimes. Especially when they started panicking.

One thing was sure. Even though Aqua had grown up with boys, she had some pretty girly traits. Being scared of little spiders was one of those things (along with being a shopaholic.) Terra didn't mind that, though, for that was one of the things he liked so much about her.


	8. Hard

**A/N: This was originally chapter 34 of my "100 Fish in the Sea." But I decided to expand it, because I thought it kinda fitted the prompt. And if it wasn't that clear, Aqua was having a flashback. Enjoy. :)**

**Thanks************************************************: Ruby Warrior Girl 730, Amulet Misty, DestinyCrusader, ProfessorOrangePlum, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my beta reader.**

* * *

~ _It was **hard **not knowing where Terra was, or even how he was doing. Worrying about him all day hurt more than she'd care to admit. But then again, there wasn't much she could do about that, right? Love was stupid, but people don't love with their brains_. ~

* * *

**H.** - **Hard**

Aqua sighed deeply, as she inattentively stared into the distance. Almost absentmindedly, she tucked a stubborn cerulean strand of hair behind her ear, to no avail, as it swayed back to its spot, obscuring her vision. If anyone could see her now, they would assume, she'd lost all hope, from her slumped shoulders, to her forlorn expression. And if they had the slightest inkling as to her situation, they wouldn't blame her.

It was **hard **for her, not knowing where Terra was, or how he was doing. Worrying about him all day hurt more than she'd care to admit. But then again, there wasn't much she could do about that, right? Love was stupid, but people don't love with their brains.

It just happened, whether you wanted to or not.

The only thing that kept her from collapsing was the hope that he might be in the next world she would visit. Each time she would remind herself of this, when inevitably, he wasn't there. It went on like this for quite a while, but unfortunately, she had only seen him once, quite some time ago. If Aqua had known how much it would pain her to fall in love, she would have stopped herself years ago. But it was too late now; she couldn't ignore those feelings anymore. The last time she'd tried doing that, chaos ensued.

She missed him terribly. Or "Terra-bly" as Ven would joke. She felt the same way, when reminiscing about the carefree days spent at home, which seemed so far away now. She even missed playing hide-and-seek with them, even though she hated that game with a passion. This was mainly because it was so hard for her not knowing where her friends were. It made her worry.

This made her recall the last time the three of them had played together. The Master had been called away on a personal matter so the apprentices were granted a day off from training. Needless to say, Master Eraqus had been far from pleased when he had encountered the mess the three had made. She still could remember it, as if it was only yesterday...

* * *

Terra let out an exasperated sigh, gaining the attention of his best friends.

"What's wrong now, Terra?" Aqua mumbled, all the while not looking up from her work.

"Guys, I really hate to admit this... but I'm so _bored_ it's not funny anymore," the brunet male admitted with a light sigh.

He shut his eyes for a moment, only to open them again, letting out a deep breath. The three disciples of the Keyblade were currently sitting in the living room, in front of the empty hearth. Terra had his right foot propped up, leaning on his arms, looking around him with an expression of pure boredom. The day off was welcomed; it was nice to relax for a change. It was just that the oldest wielder of the Keyblade had absolutely _no idea_ what to do now, save for more training. But he had mastered everything in his arsenal, and Eraqus hadn't taught anything new for him to polish.

"Yeah, me too!" Ven immediately agreed with a nod. For the blonde, this was weird, for out of the three of them, he was the one with the wildest imagination. It clearly showed in his battle style and behavior.

At that moment, both highly jaded males looked over at Aqua, who was curled up on the comfortable red sofa, quietly reading a book. She seemed to be in a whole different world, unaware that her friends were complaining. Or perhaps she was simply ignoring them, because she thought they were overreacting.

However, when the bluenette noticed the silence, she looked up from her book, catching the perplexed looks the boys were currently giving her. "_What_?" She asked, raising a thin eyebrow.

"Why aren't _you_ bored?" Ven asked, slightly confused.

His question was cute enough to provoke a small, amused smile from the mage. She leaned forward slightly, ruffling his spikes, like an older sister would do to her favorite sibling. Ven didn't protest, which made Terra's eyes narrow slightly.

"Because I'm not bored at all," she replied, in a matter-of-fact tone, before presenting a suggestion. "Maybe if you two would pick up a book for once, you would stop being so bored."

"Nah, reading is for girls," Terra said, knowing his statement would get a rise out of Aqua.

After all, she had always been incredibly sensitive when it came to those kinds of sexist comments. One time, she'd gotten so mad about it that she hadn't spoken to him for a week. If there was one thing Terra couldn't stand, it was the silent treatment. He was sure that it was a woman who invented that kind of torture.

Eventually, he'd put his pride aside and begged her to forgive him, which she eventually had.

As usual, Aqua gave him a dark glare. However, it made her look more cute than intimidating. Not that she ever was aware of it.

"Obviously, because most guys I know-" Her sentence was punctuated by a withering look, indicating whom she meant by 'most guys,' "-can't read at all to begin with. So I understand why _you_ of all people would say such a thing."

Ven snickered at that, but the older male ignored him, his frown deepening. He certainly hadn't expected to hear a comeback.

"_Excuse_ me?"

"You heard me, Terra," she replied calmly, as she turned her attention back to her novel, continuing where she'd left off.

_All right then Aqua__, you brought this upon yourself. You want to play it that way? I can do that, too, you know..._

"Well, I happen to know a way to get rid of our boredom," Terra said, with an almost evil glint in his eye, that luckily went unnoticed.

"Really? What is it?" A surprised Ven inquired, more curious than ever.

Before the brunet continued, he looked at the blue-haired mage first. Her eyes were still glued on her current page, but he could see how they weren't moving back and forth anymore. That could only mean he finally had her attention.

_Good_.

"Let's play hide and seek! We haven't done that in a while, and the Master isn't at home, so even if we're too loud, we won't bother anyone. We have the whole castle to ourselves. What do you guys think?"

It was silent for a moment as both Ven and Aqua thought about his suggestion, mulling it over in their head.

"As weird as it sounds... I think it's a pretty good idea," the blonde boy admitted, thoughtfully.

Terra rolled his cobalt-colored eyes. "_Of course_ it is, since_ I_ came up with it."

"Modesty becomes you, Terra."

Terra was about to snipe back, when Aqua interrupted. "I think I'll pass this time."

If she'd been hoping to be left alone after that confession, then she was horribly wrong.

"What? Why?" Both males cried out simultaneously.

They gave each other a funny look, but decided not to comment.

"Because I don't like that game," she replied, honestly. "I mean I don't even know which part of it I hate more; hiding or seeking."

"But you can't do that to us! This is a democratic decision, coming from the majority and you need to keep to it. Besides, it's not possible to play Hide-and-Seek with two people!" Terra argued.

"Oh, it's simple enough; one of you hides, while the other searches for that person. And after that, you just swap places. Good luck."

"Aww. You're such a killjoy, Aqua." Ventus pouted, trying to keep the grin off his face.

"And a boring one, at that," The brunet added, nodding. He hoped his comment would trigger the right reaction.

The bluenette bit her lip. She knew all too well Terra was baiting her, but she didn't like it when the boys started complaining about her decisions. It made her feel guilty.

After a lot of protestation from Terra and a helping of begging from Ven, she gave in. Aqua had no choice; she could only handle so much nagging.

"Ugh, alright, alright,_ fine_! But this is the last time I'm doing something like this," she warned, giving both of them a rather sharp look.

Terra pumped his fist in the air as a sign of victory. "Nice! I knew you would cooperate. You're it and no peeking, or else we'll start all over!" He warned as she rolled her blue eyes in response.

"You don't need to remind me. I've played this before. All right, you two, I'm starting the count. One... Two..." She closed her eyes and started counting to twenty.

Both Ven and Terra got on their feet and raced out of the room, almost colliding several times in their hurry. Even though Aqua couldn't see it, the sounds that erupted from the two made her giggle.

"...Nineteen... Twenty. Ready or not, here I come!" Aqua called, reaching twenty.

After opening her eyes, she left the living room, looking around, for any trace of her friends. The hall was deserted; if Aqua didn't know any better she would think the castle had been deserted. That thought gave her shivers, making the sunny hallway a little more eerie.

"Hmm…where did they go?" she mused.

_Okay... Where would I go if I were Terra or Ven? Oh, that's easy_, _the kitchen_. Aqua thought, as she tried to suppress a laugh. _Honestly, __they're__ so predictable sometimes. And they still don't realize it. Maybe I should head over there first..._

_And how is this more fun than reading? I was at such a good part of the story, too._ The bluenette thought, rolling her eyes at her abandoned book. Reading was _not_ boring. It was fun, relaxing and educational. They should try it, too. But no, both males were into adventurous activities that didn't involve using their heads. No wonder why they were always out of Potions, with all the risks they took.

Still, she had accepted their request, because honestly, what could possibly go wrong here? They weren't playing with fire this time***,** nor were there any pine trees nearby. Hopefully they wouldn't damage anything this time... Although Aqua wouldn't put it past either of her fellow apprentices, to get into trouble.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flickered out of the corner of her eye and she heard the echo of a door shutting, as expected, near the kitchen, probably the storage room.

This revelation made her smile victoriously. _Aha…so that's where they're hiding. I knew it._

Honestly, did they really think they could outsmart her, even if she despised the game and she was outnumbered? There was _no way_ they would succeed, especially when they needed some work in the stealth department. She had expected this from Ven, maybe, but _Terra_, too? Seriously, did he actually _want_ her to catch him?

Doing her best not to call attention to herself, she crept towards the door. Her heart started beating faster, in excitement, for she hadn't expected to end the game this soon. Well, she wasn't complaining.

The mage stood still in front of the door, taking in a deep breath.

"Gotcha!" She exclaimed triumphantly, as she pushed open the door with a little too much force.

That was her first mistake, for the instant that she saw the closet was empty, the contents of the cupboard fell to the ground with a clamorous racket. Aqua was quick enough to go out of the way, but she couldn't prevent the huge mess. Brooms, mops, buckets, cleaners, wipes and even crates with heaven knew what were all laying on the floor. Everything was covered with filthy, muddy water. _Who had put all of this stuff into the storage room, without bothering to clean it, too?_ The mage could think of only one person lazy enough not to clean up after he was done cleaning: _Terra_.

She heard a door open, and two sets of footsteps hurry over.

"Aqua, are you okay?" Terra asked, worriedly, as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa, what the... What did you do?" Ven marveled at the mess his normally neat friend had created.

Aqua wasn't able to reply. All she had done was open the door, how could one little action create so much chaos? Was she supposed to clean this up herself? And, more importantly, why was it that she thought she'd seen someone entering this storage room?

Irritated, the blue-haired mage turned to Terra. "It was you again, wasn't it?"

Terra's eyebrows rose sharply in surprise. "Me? What are you talking about?"

This time, she raised her voice slightly, as she pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You pulled one of your immature pranks, so this would happen. Are you happy now?"

"...You really aren't making sense, you know."

"So now you're denying it, too? Wh-"

"What's going on here?"

Master Eraqus's stern voice startled the apprentices, but they didn't dare turn around. Judging by his tone, they could tell that the man wasn't exactly happy to see the mess.

There was only one thought that ran through the trio's mind at that moment, _Busted!_

They were sure of one thing; Master Eraqus would never leave them home alone again.

* * *

**A/N: *For those of you who got confuzzled, I'm refering to my Christmas related one-shot, called "Bet On It."**

**Prompt next chapter: 'Immune.' Terra gets a little bit sick and guess who volunteers to take care of him? :)**


	9. Immune

**A/N: Holy _oghawoeivg_, it's been _over thirteen months_ since I last updated this! D: Gah, please forgive me for neglecting this collection! I hope I didn't lose any readers... :O I forgot how fun this chapter was supposed to be (for me at least). Then again, I spent my time writing out a huge AU Terqua and coming up with at least a dozen other Terqua story ideas, so that makes it a little less horrible... Right? Anyways, a part of this was originally chapter 90 of my Aqua-related drabble challenge "100 Fish in the Sea". Enjoy. :)**

**And before I forget, the cover for this story is drawn by the lovely ~luckcharm (aka The Writing Artist) on deviantArt (It actually pictures another Terqua drabble I wrote, but I thought it was so pretty that I decided to use it for this collection as well). Please don't use it without her permission!**

**Thanks************************************************: miggieBRO, The Trio of Twilight, Amulet Misty, Nemirin, Amaia's End, MonMonCandie, Chandramukhi, SirenMist, 2kitsune, Topazdragon98, italktotherain, MaroonAngel of Darkness, animeluvv679, Blackbird1313, **GeNiuS11GlaSSes, ******************************************and outofthesun, my lovely beta reader.**

* * *

~ _"And you said you were **immune** to any virus?" Aqua said, laughing, while she put a wet towel against Terra's red-hot forehead. Terra mumbled something unintelligible and Aqua just laughed. He couldn't say how grateful he was that she took care of him like that. _~

* * *

**I.** - **Immune**

Rain pattered on the roof of the castle, but Aqua paid no attention to it. The new book that she was currently reading was so exciting that she couldn't possible put it down. Thundery grey clouds had gathered outside, making the atmosphere seem gloomy and dark. So Aqua had taken it upon herself to light a nice fire. Master Eraqus was in his study...probably, and Ven was keeping her company here. As for Terra... who knew where that guy was. She hadn't seen him since she got inside, so Aqua guessed that he was taking a shower, or something.

"Uh... Aqua? I think you need to see this," Ven suddenly said, carefully.

Surprised, the bluenette looked up from the book and saw that the blond was staring out of one of the huge windows in the library. A light frown was evident on his face, so whatever it was that he was seeing outside, it had to be something serious. Aqua slowly got up and made her way over to him.

"What is it?"

She'd barely asked that when she spotted a lone figure in the far distance. He seemed to be hitting the golden rings meant for practise repeatedly (and mercilessly). Well, there was only one person Aqua could think of that was crazy enough to actually train in the pouring rain: Terra.

"Wow, I think he brought the word determined to a whole new level," Ven noted casually, not sure if he should be impressed or feel sorry.

Aqua resisted the urge to facepalm and sighed. "You can say that, yes."

To think that she'd asked him to come inside when it started drizzling...which was about half an hour ago. However, it looked like he hadn't moved at all. Before she could stop herself, Aqua huffed angrily. Training outside in a thin shirt while it was practically _storming_? What in the world was that stubborn guy thinking!? Did he have a death wish, or something? Because she could arrange that inside, too.

"I'm going to get him. Stay here," she told Ven, before practically stomping out of the library.

_Duh, where else should I go?_ Ven thought, but he merely nodded.

Look what he made her go through with his unbelievably... _Ugh!_ There wasn't even a word for it. Perhaps Ven was right; Terra was just Terra-ble. Obviously.

As soon as she stepped outside, protected by the blue umbrella she'd brought with her, it felt as though buckets of water were falling out of the sky, attacking her. It was _pouring_.

A shiver ran down her spine. It wasn't really cold, but thanks to the rain, the place had cooled off considerably. Still, it didn't seem to faze Terra at all. If Aqua didn't know any better, she'd think that the brunet teen didn't feel how the rain was beating down on him mercilessly. Perhaps it had already had a numbing effect on him.

After muttering something that sounded a lot like, "_Men_!" she wasted no time approaching him.

As expected, her friend didn't hear her coming his way, which gave Aqua enough time to assess the whole situation. Rain was falling over his face and back, but he was ignoring his surroundings. His usually spiky hair was flat, plastered on his skull. To add insult to injury, his thin white shirt was wet through and stuck against his body like a second skin, in such a way that Aqua could easily count every muscle on his toned body. Not that she thought she could get further than three now that his see through shirt was practically showing everything it was supposed to hide. Oh, Terra would definitely get the first place in any wet shirt contest...

Wait, why was she here again?

...Right, she had to concentrate; no more distracting thoughts. That was easier said than done, though.

Aqua shook her head to clear her thoughts, before taking a deep breath and calling his name. As expected, Terra didn't react to it, so she tried again, before realizing that maybe he couldn't hear her through the rain and his own fierce battle cries.

Eventually, her patience ran out. That was when she grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and made him spin around. Terra blinked, looking her up and down. His deep, cobalt blue eyes had never looked this abysmal before. Aqua had to remind herself to keep on breathing, no matter how hard he was making it for her at the moment.

"Aqua? What are _you_ doing here?"

The bluenette chose to ignore the question and ask one herself instead. "Are you completely _out of your mind_!? What if you catch a cold like this? Don't you know when enough is enough? And you're supposed to be a good example to Ven. This is _not_ acting responsibly!"

The other pupil waved it off like it was nothing, but she could trace a hint of annoyance in his mannerisms. She wasn't surprised, though, because Terra hated it when she was concerned about him. It was probably because it made him feel like a little boy. At the moment, though, she couldn't care any less.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," he assured her with a shrug. "And why do you have to involve Ven into everything? I'm sure he can think for himself."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him and that was for him the first sign to be careful with what he said. Aqua could be rather scary when she wanted to prove herself right. Even Master Eraqus had, more or less, admitted it once.

Aqua's gaze intensified almost ten fold, almost as if she could read his thoughts. She opened her mouth to say something, but when she couldn't think of anything to say, she closed it again. Honestly, how in the worlds could he be so careless? Didn't he care about his health at all or was it because he knew that she was going to act like a mother hen anyway?

"No you're not and if you don't come inside with me _right now_, I'll make sure you'll regret your stay here. And Ven agreed with me!"

Terra couldn't help but smirk at that, even if he knew that Aqua wouldn't be too pleased with what he was going to say next. Still, it was hard to resist.

"Fine, fine. If you insist... Always eager, aren't we?"

The blue-haired teen immediately blushed when she caught the double meaning of that question. "Stop being so ridiculous. That's _not_ what I meant!"

He raised a finely arched eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything anymore. Instead, he stepped under the umbrella with her, albeit slightly reluctant. He felt like a kid who had to come inside because it was far too late for him to be outside. It wasn't like he really had a choice, because something told him that his friend would attempt (and succeed) to drag him inside if he didn't listen to her. Wordlessly, they headed back to the huge castle.

The first thing Terra noted when they were ascending the white stairs was, "How sweet, _Akuwa_ is worried about me."

"Shut up and change into something else, before you get sick. I'm going to make you some tea."

With that, she made her way inside, most likely heading to the kitchen. The brunet shook his head, unable to hide the smile that tugged at his lips any longer. Aqua could be such an awkward turtle sometimes, it was almost adorable (and needless to say, he could never resist teasing her).

Soon enough, the two of them were sitting in front of the hearth in the living-room. Terra, who was in the middle of towel drying his hair, was now wearing a simple black shirt and grey sweatpants. He'd discarded his wet clothes, which Aqua had dried with some help of her magic (simply because Terra and magic didn't fit; he'd probably end up burning down the castle if he tried.)

Just when he was done, Aqua happened to enter the room and she quietly handed him a steaming cup of tea, which he gladly accepted. "Thanks."

Aqua's tea simply tasted the best. He just couldn't get enough of it, even if he had no idea what she put in it to make it so horribly delicious. Which made him wonder...

"Say Aqua?"

"Hmm?"

"How come your tea always tastes so good?"

"I always spit in it," she replied solemnly.

"...What!?"

Terra's eyes widened considerably and he was about to spit out his tea. However, when Aqua started to laugh, he realized that it was only a joke. A cruel one at that. He frowned and threw his wet towel to her, which she caught effortlessly. At the same time, he had to sneeze.

"Bless you. That doesn't sound too good," Aqua noted in an "_I told you so!_" kind of voice.

"Now you're overreacting. It was just a little sneeze, nothing serious," he deadpanned.

"You know that that indicates the beginning of illness."

"Well, like I said earlier, you don't have to worry about me, 'cause I've been immune to any virus since the day I was born."

The bluenette pupil resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "...We'll see about that, Terra."

"Ooh, I'm _so_ scared," he said teasingly, to which she threw his wet towel back to him again with an indignant huff.

* * *

Needless to say, Terra started regretting those last words when he couldn't get out of his bed a few days later.

"And you said you were **immune** to _any_ virus?" Aqua said teasingly.

She couldn't help but laugh lightly, while she put a wet towel against Terra's red-hot forehead. Terra mumbled something unintelligible and Aqua just laughed again. He couldn't say how grateful he was that she took care of him like that.

After all, she really didn't have to. She could've just abandoned him, since he didn't listen to her. He would've deserved it, because Aqua had warned him long before he'd started feeling this miserable. But no, Aqua was not like that. Aqua would never let him down. She always thought about him before she looked after herself. It was in her nature to be so sweet and secretly, the brunet loved how she always volunteered to take care of him and make him the center of her attention. May the gods be with the unlucky soul that Ven would volunteer to take care of...

"Anything else you need?" Aqua asked to the sick Terra.

He was lying in his bed, cheeks flushed, looking smaller and more miserable than ever. His arms, feet and face were the only parts of his body that weren't covered by a thick blanket. He had a lot of trouble with keeping his eyes open and his back...she could only imagine how sore his back had to feel. Poor soul.

"Yeah… could you make me some tea?" the young man asked, his voice hoarse.

Aqua gave him a funny look at that. "Tea? But I thought you told Ven yesterday never to make you tea anymore, because it was 'gross beyond words'."

"No, the tea _he_ makes is always gross, but… I do like yours. Yours is always sweet and tastes great and… Please?"

The blue-haired teen shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Well, in that case, sure. I'll be right back."

Terra let out a silent sigh of relief, almost as though he was afraid she would say no. "Thanks…"

"No problem, Terra."

When she returned to the kitchen to do as Terra had asked her, she spotted her younger friend. His back was turned towards her, but Aqua knew that he'd heard her entering the kitchen.

"Ooh, am I glad that I don't have to be outside in this weather," Ven commented, as he stared out of the window.

It was raining cats and dogs, figuratively speaking of course. If it continued at this rate, then the Land of Departure might flood by the end of the day.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Aqua replied, nodding.

She opened a cabinet to get the sugar and a spoon, because Terra always liked his tea sweet. Good thing he trained so much, otherwise he'd have gained a few pounds because of his sweet tooth.

"For someone who's named after water, you sure sound negative. I thought you were supposed to like being in the rain all the time," the boy said jokingly.

"Not after what happened to Terra."

And it wasn't like she didn't like rain at all. She loved it when it was drizzling, no matter what time of the day it was. She also loved to take long walks on windless afternoons when it was raining so hard that the world became a blur. But she would be dry thanks to her umbrella. There was something so pleasantly refreshing and freeing about such quiet moments. Aqua always liked to imagine that that was when the world's heart would be restored and all the sins were washed away, giving the planet a new chance to let its Light shine bright. Summer, sunset and rain were the only things that gave her this magical feeling.

"Doesn't look like you mind taking care of him, though," he couldn't help but note. This caused her to tense up involuntarily and he continued, "You know, just saying."

With that, he turned around and left the kitchen. Aqua's mouth dropped open in astonishment as once again she was rendered speechless by the youngest member of the family.

* * *

**A/N: ****Next chapter: _He was quite sure that she was thinking he was a _****jerk** who was excluding her from everything. He couldn't blame her, but he knew that it was better this way. He didn't want to put her in any kind of danger if he could help it.

**Terra's sneakier than Aqua expects. In fact, he could be her stalker for ages and she wouldn't even notice... Doesn't that sound familiar? *cough*Vanitas*cough* Anyways, I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I hope you all have patience with me. Thanks for reading! :)**


	10. Jerk

**A/N: Lol, looks like someone's been heavily influenced by Twilight... Just kidding, kinda. :P**

**Thanks************************************************: **TopazDragon98, HeartofFyrwinde, MonMonCandie, and Mystics Apprentice, ******************************************my lovely beta re********************************************ader.**

* * *

~ _He was quite sure that she was thinking he was a **jerk** who was excluding her from everything. He couldn't blame her, but he knew that it was better this way. He didn't want to put her in any kind of danger if he could help it. _~

* * *

**J.** - **Jerk**

The place was dark and eerily quiet, which was no wonder at this time of the night. Aqua was sleeping soundly, not even the slightest aware of the tall figure in the shadows that watched her silently. Terra knew he was very lucky to have found her here at all. He hadn't expected to find her in this world, but, after he had, he figured that it would do no harm to visit her at night—when he was sure that she would be asleep. Just visit, nothing more. Seeing her would be enough (or so he hoped).

His cobalt-blue eyes slowly traveled over the familiar contours of her face as he took in all the details of her, which he already knew by heart. Aqua was still as breathtakingly beautiful as he remembered. He'd never expected to encounter something different. Natural beauty never died, after all. The way the moonlight shone through the windows, hitting her glossy blue hair and flawless skin, was indescribable. Her long dark lashes reminded him of soft feathers. They were long enough to be able to caress her cheek, but because of their curl, they did not quite touch her skin. In other words, she was as pure as he was tainted—and that would never change.

He was glad to see she was alright, albeit exhausted. Those bags under her eyes didn't lie... And he felt like such a stalker now.

Terra automatically reached forward to brush a stray strand of brilliant-blue hair out of her face, but he changed his mind. Slowly, he let his hand fall back to his side again. If she woke up...he didn't think he could face her now. It would only lead to awkward questions to which he didn't even know the answers himself, or worse: another big fight. Honestly, the Keyblade wielder felt like he'd caused enough harm already. There was no need to make things even more complicated and nasty, even if the clean and smooth contours of her face had never looked this appealing before. But he'd promised himself to only look, not touch.

He was quite sure that she was thinking he was a **jerk** who was excluding her from everything. He couldn't blame her, but he knew that it was better this way. He didn't want to put her in any kind of danger if he could help it.

The brunet young man was fully aware that she was more than capable to take care of herself. Still, he'd promised himself long ago to take care of her, and nothing was going to change his mind.

_Oh Aqua, if only you knew how much you really mean to me, how much I miss you. How much I..._

What he wouldn't give to be able to just lie down next to her and pull her close to him. To hold her in his arms, just like the old days.***** When all this was over, when he became a Master, he would finally tell her how he truly felt about her. He would promise her that he'd always be there to take care of her. Terra could make her the happiest woman in the world if she let him.

All he could do now, though, was hope that it wouldn't be too late by then. He simply couldn't bear the thought of losing Aqua to another man.

Eventually, Terra couldn't resist anymore; he knew that if he didn't leave now, he might do something stupid. So he bent forward and lightly kissed her temple, then her forehead, followed by the corner of her mouth. "Take good care of yourself, Aqua," he whispered, before silently retreating in the shadows again.

Aqua opened her eyes when she was sure that her friend was gone. "Will you, too?"

* * *

**A/N: To think that there was a time when I didn't really like Terqua... (Bet you didn't expect to hear _that_ lol.) For the people who might wonder why I chose those the places for Terra to kiss, by kissing her temple, he means to say that she means the world to him. If he kissed her on the lips, he knew she would wake up/he wouldn't be able to leave, so he chose for the second best option. Where I'm from, they say that a kiss on the forehead is bad, because it symbolizes being apart from each other, possibly even a breakup. Considering what happened at the end of BBS, I think this was fitting. Call me weird, but I think details like these matter. :P**

***I also think that they secretly had a relationship before the Mark of Mastery exam (which explains the "Just like the old days" part). More of that will be found in chapter 24. :)**

**Next chapter: _"Hey, you look like some kind of _****knight**... in shining armor. Literally," Aqua noted, when the sun that reflected on Terra's armor almost blinded her. Terra chuckled, not seeming to notice the deeper meaning of what she had said.


	11. Knight

**A/N: This one's a bit sadder, because it's one-sided Terqua...more or less. Since they only seemed to have a platonic relationship in BBS, this is kinda fitting in my eyes.**

**Thanks************************************************:** ******************************************Amulet Misty, TopazDragon98, MonMonCandie, Walker of Nothing, AuthoressSai, InomaCallain, and outofthesun, my lovely beta re********************************************ader.**

* * *

~ _"Hey, you look like some kind of **knight**... in shining armor. Literally," Aqua noted, when the sun that reflected on Terra's armor almost blinded her. Terra chuckled, not seeming to notice the deeper meaning of what she had said. _~

* * *

**K.** - **Knight**

The first thought that entered her distracted mind when she saw him was, _Wow!_

In fact, she considered it a small miracle that her brain was still working after seeing this amazing sight. The summer heat was nothing compared to what he made her feel right now.

"Hey, you look like some kind of **knight**...in shining armor. Literally," Aqua noted, when the sun that reflected on Terra's armor almost blinded her.

Terra chuckled (making her heart skip a beat or two, because she absolutely loved that deep sound), not seeming to notice the deeper meaning of what she had said. She wasn't sure if she should be glad or sad because of that. Maybe a little of both.

Ven, however, wasn't that oblivious. Even if he was the youngest member of their group, he always had a knack for noticing the smallest details. His cerulean eyes twinkled mischievously when he noted playfully, "Or maybe you're just trying to say that he looks like _your_ knight in shining armor, huh? Can't fool me, Aqua; I saw how you were looking at him. Your eyes couldn't lie."

"What? I wasn't- I-I mean I didn't..."

The bluenette dropped the hand that she'd used to shield her eyes against the sunlight. She wanted to frown at Ven and tell him not to be so silly, but frankly, she'd lost her ability to speak, let alone to form a sarcastic remark.

Thankfully, Terra decided to help her at that moment by stating oh so calmly, "Or maybe _you're_ just_ jealous_ that she likes my armor more than she likes yours."

The blond huffed indignantly, his bright eyes looking even brighter now that he was frowning. "Am _not_!"

The brunet teen crossed his arms as he continued teasingly "Oh no? Then why are you red in the face?"

"Terra, _stop it_!"

With that, Ven turned swiftly around and stomped away from the two, most likely because he was trying to hide his blush. Soon enough, the sound of his footsteps died and it was all quiet around the two remaining wielders of the Keyblade.

Aqua didn't look at her friend when she muttered a soft, "Thanks."

"No problem. It's far-fetched, anyway." At this, Aqua gave him a confused look, to which he chuckled (once again taking her breath away). "I mean, it's not like we're a couple, or anything. We're just close friends and nothing can possibly change that. So don't let it bother you, okay?" he explained with a small smile.

Aqua suppressed a grimace when she heard those stinging words. "Oh, right... I won't."

_Just close friends... Nothing less, and certainly nothing more._

What was she thinking, really? _Of course_ they could never be an item. How could Terra ever fall for someone like her? No, how could _anyone_ fall for a boring person like her? Because let's face it, nobody liked dead boring people who spent their days puttering, reading novels, and acting the worried mother hen. Terra probably liked girls who were cute, but strong like him. Girls who were more outgoing, fearless. Girls loved to act crazy and take big risks. Someone who'd rather go to the movies, instead of watching a show together on the couch, where they could cuddle up against each other...

She just wasn't the one for him, his statement had made that more than clear. And she had to learn to live with that, no matter how broken she was inside. Aqua couldn't let this ruin their friendship. It was probably the only reason Terra tolerated her.

"I'm going to check up on Ven. I'll be right back," she said as calmly as she could muster.

What had started as a bright, sunny morning, the kind of morning that reflected her mood, had now turned into the worst day of her life, with the weather contrasting her feelings starkly.

If she had turned around, though, she would've seen the apologetic and longing look Terra was sending her way.

* * *

**A/N: At first, I wanted Terra to say something along the lines of "What was I thinking, I'll never get her attention this way!" at the end, but I decided against it.**

**Next chapter: _Aqua loved books. Therefore, she could be often found in the _****library **(Terra couldn't forget her reaction when he had given her a book for her birthday; she had hugged him so tight that he had almost been able to hear his bones creaking and kissed him on the cheek. If she had been that happy about one book, then what would happen when he would give her ten books for her next birthday?).  



	12. Library

**A/N: I decided to give AU Terqua another try...and try something new while I'm at it. This piece ended up being a little longer than intended, too (as in thrice as long as usual). I hope you guys don't mind that too much. It was inspired by a story I read on deviantArt a while ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find it again. :(**

**Thanks************************************************:** TopazDragon98, Walker of Nothing, mikichara12, Amulet Misty, AuthoressSai, Lostheartdarkclan, 7th Scale, RealmOfDawn, ScarRhyn, Blackwing602, allimacaiasi, xXUltimateDestructionXx, tennisdesi91, **************************************and Mystics Apprentice, my lovely beta re********************************************ader. :)**

* * *

~ _Aqua loved books. __As such__, she could be often found in the __**library. **__(Terra couldn't forget her reaction when he had given her a book for her birthday; she had hugged him__—__so tightly that he__ could almost hear his bones __creaking__—__and kissed him on the cheek. If she had been that happy about one book, then what would happen when he would give her ten books for her next __birthday?) _~

* * *

**L.** - **Library**

Aqua loved books. As such, she could be often found in the library. (Terra couldn't forget her reaction when he had given her a book for her birthday; she had hugged him—so tightly that he could almost hear his bones creaking—and kissed him on the cheek. If she had been that happy about one book, then what would happen when he would give her ten books for her next birthday? Well, there was only one way to find out, right?)

He smiled, thinking back to the first time he'd seen her. She had noticed him thanks to the book he'd been holding. Aqua's life only consisted of books, and of him, after all. He'd been on the same train that he took four times a week to get from college to home. At that time of the day, around half past three, the train was neither quiet nor crowded; there were plenty of empty seats. It was the perfect chance to look at people without being noticed, because everybody was minding their own business. And that was when he'd seen _her_. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. With her glossy blue hair, matching cerulean eyes and creamy skin, she looked like an angel. Especially the way the light hit her. He'd found himself blinking, wondering if he was dreaming or if the young woman was as real as he was. The latter seemed to be true.

What pained him the most was that seemingly perpetual, sombre look on her face that never disappeared. There were times that she would open a book, but her eyes would stay at the same spot on the page for minutes, a sign that she wasn't reading at all. Perhaps she was in another world, a happier one. Sometimes she would stare out the window, seemingly deep in thought. But she would never notice nor feel the pair of cobalt-blue eyes that were following her every move with fascination.

Everything about her was beautiful. The way she would speak, how she would brush a strand of silky smooth blue hair out of her eyes, and how she would try to tuck it behind her ear repeatedly, even though it bounced right back in place.

Soon enough, he'd discovered—much to his great delight—that she took this train every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, the same time as himself. She would step in at a stop after himself, and they always stepped out at the same place. After that, she would go to the huge bike shed near the station and he would take bus 358...

She also sat on the same seat. For some reason, it was always vacant when she stepped into the train, and the seats around her were always empty as well. Terra wanted to sit next to her and start a conversation, he really did, but he also knew that he might scare her away. After all, nobody started talking just randomly to a stranger on the train, especially when they were of a different gender. She might even use pepper spray against him! Besides, someone like her probably got to deal with stuff like that a lot, and he didn't want to be like all those other guys.

But just looking at her alone wasn't enough, either. So, after a while, he came up with the perfect plan. It certainly helped that he always got on the train before her.

* * *

Aqua took another yellow gummi bear out of her bag of sweets and put it in her mouth. It was another bright sunny day, even though it had snowed only a week ago. Spring was finally in the air and people couldn't be any happier. Aqua, however, hadn't been this depressed since...well, _ever_.

She missed him. His sweet, dorky jokes, his grin that would light up the whole room, his bright blue eyes that could be more blinding than the sun. _Everything_. If only things could have gone different. If only she could trade places with him...

She sighed as her gaze traveled back to the view outside. From the corner of her eyes, she suddenly spotted something bright yellow tucked under the window. She frowned and looked down.

_Huh, a post-it?_ she thought.

And there was something written on it, too, in slightly small and rushed handwriting...

After a slight hesitation (and looking around to see if someone was watching her), Aqua plucked it off the wall and started reading it.

_Dear Bluenette,_

_About time you saw this post-it. What's with the sad face? I've seen you sit here every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and I couldn't help but notice that in these past few week__s y__ou haven't smiled once, which is too bad. I hope everything's alright._

_Like my mother used to say: Don't worry; be happy (otherwise, you'll attract random strangers like me)._

_By the way, I noticed that you really like gum__mi bea__rs, but you seem to eat a different color every day. What's your favorite flavor?_

Aqua frowned. This couldn't be just a coincidence; she always sat here, and after a quick scan of her surroundings, she could safely conclude that she was the only blue-haired person on the train. Someone was trying to get in contact with her—in a pretty creative way, she had to admit. The strange thing was that nobody had bothered to take this piece of paper or just throw it away. That could only mean one thing: whoever had written this to her, they had put this post-it here not too long ago. Perhaps the stranger was still in the train, to see if she would read it.

When that thought crossed her mind, the bluenette looked around once again. However, nobody seemed to be paying attention to her. Everyone else was minding their own business, as usual. A blond man with a toothpick was reading the newspaper; a petite, raven-haired teen was softly humming the song she was currently listening to on her iPod; a brunet young man was staring out of the window with a bored expression on his handsome face, and two lovers, both with blond hair, were having a light-hearted conversation. The girl (she was slightly pale, which stood in stark contrast with her bright blue eyes) was blushing, but Aqua could see how happy she was. When she looked at the boy, however, she felt a pang of pain in her heart, for he reminded her of the person she was missing so much...

The two lovers were lost in their own little world, so it couldn't be of any of them. Pretty much the same went for the girl who was listening to some random song.

There were more passengers on the train, but they were sitting too far away to be of any interest. And the people who were sitting near her didn't look like they would be interested in her (and she didn't want to think of the possibility of the man with the toothpick being worried about her, because, quite frankly, he reminded her of a tough, cursing pilot). For a moment, she'd thought that maybe the brunet young man had tried to get her attention, but he didn't really give the impression that he wanted to have to do anything with anyone. Judging the piece by the handwriting, she would say that this random stranger was a guy, but one couldn't possibly know this for sure.

Aqua had made up her mind; she took her stack of blue post-its out of her bag, along with a pen. She shook her head, not believing that she was really doing this. After putting the yellow post-it between one of her study books so it wouldn't tear (and so she could read it again when she was home), she started writing:

_Dear Random Stranger,_

_I would normally never answer post-its, even if they were __addressed__ to me, but you seem like a nice perso__n, s__o I thought why not. It was never my intention to attract you and I apologize if I got you worried about me. But thank you for caring enough to notice this detail._

_All I can say is that life isn't always about sunshine and rainbows and quite frankly, I'm tired of pretending otherwise. Everything's fine with me, but I wish I could say the same about my frien__d. T__hat's why I'm sad. Hopefully, you're more lucky than me and everything's all right in your life._

_To answer your other__ question, I like the yellow bears the most, though the red ones are a close second. What about you, what's your favorite candy?_

_-(Tired) Passenger_

Aqua pursed her lips. Was she really going to tell him what was bothering her, the thoughts and feelings that she never shared with anyone else? Then again, did it really matter? If the stranger got his answer, he would probably stop asking any further; it wasn't like she was the most fascinating person ever. And if this person was pulling a prank with her, and if he had a heart, he would stop his actions. It wasn't like she told him what was wrong with her friend, so what was the harm in it? With that in mind, she put the blue post-it in the same place as the yellow one had been only minutes ago.

All she could do now was wait and see what would happen, and hope that this wouldn't fall in the wrong hands.

* * *

Ten minutes after scribbling down a reply, the blue-haired young woman got up to leave, but not without looking around for the nth time. Not that she found what she was looking for. Terra was secretly watching her via the window. He knew that he had made her very curious and it took all his willpower not to smile, because it would give him away immediately. Instead, he opted to wait and see how far she was willing to take this conversation. After all, she could've told him to buzz off for all he knew.

Yes, he'd seen that utterly surprised look on her face, and how she'd started looking around, determined to find out who wrote this to her. When she had gazed at him, his heart had started beating twice as fast. Terra would lie if he said he wasn't afraid that she'd see right through his act. Fortunately for him, she'd fallen for his "Ultimately Bored" act. But he knew she wasn't stupid; it was only a matter of time before she would find out it was him all along.

When the train started moving again, and he was sure that she couldn't see him, Terra got out of his seat and snatched the blue post-it off the wall like an impatient child that had been waiting for hours to open his Christmas present. Before reading her response, he inspected her handwriting. It was curly, neat, beautiful and...well, girly, just like her. Maybe her handwriting said a lot about her personality (it made him wonder briefly what she thought of his handwriting).

The brunet had missed his stop in order to read her message without being caught by her. It didn't matter much, though, because he could get out at the next stop, which would be at the airport. He had to travel about ten minutes longer now (if he took bus 358 that is), but he was sure of one thing: it was definitely worth it.

He couldn't wait until she would read his message the next day. Of course, he still had to think of one, but it wouldn't take him long.

* * *

Aqua's heart skipped a beat when she spotted another yellow post-it on the spot where she'd put her blue post-it yesterday. He'd answered back. She didn't know why, but she almost felt...excited, even if it could be some creepy stalker.

_Dear Tired (but pretty) Passenger,_

_I'm so sorry to hear that. If you don't mind me asking, what happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable, but if you ever need a listening ear, I'll be here._

_-Curious Traveller_

_P.S.: I thought you would say you liked the red ones the most. As for me, I always used to like those magic gumballs as a kid (the ones that changed from color every minute), but now I'm more of a candy cane type. The red-and-white ones, if you were wondering._

'Tired but Pretty Passenger'? Was he trying to _flirt_ with her? And what was with the question about gummi bears? Despite everything, the corners of her mouth quirked up in a small, rare smile. She forced it down when she realized that the stranger might be looking at her.

Today, she saw a very pretty brunette woman with a basket flowers in her lap. She was clad in pink and chatting animatedly with the grumpy, blond man with the newspaper and the toothpick in his mouth (the very same man she'd seen yesterday). There was also a cute red-haired girl who held the hand of her grandmother, as they were both looking out of the window. On their opposite, the handsome brunet young man from yesterday was busily typing away on his mobile phone. He seemed a lot less bored today, even if the expression on his face was neutral.

The atmosphere in the train was different compared to yesterday. This part of the train was filled with laughter and merriment. Aqua almost started to feel cheerful. But maybe it was just her imagination...

* * *

_Dear (far too) Curious Traveller,_

_Again, thank you for your kindness. It's refreshing to see someone actually caring for you, even if it's a stranger._

_My friend fell off a cliff. He's broken a few bones, but nothing that put his life in danger...if it wasn't for the fact that he hasn't woken up from his coma after almost forty days now. The doctors said the longer it takes, the harder it will be for him to wake up._

_-T.P._

Terra sighed, feeling sad after he'd read her reply. Sure, he didn't know her (yet), but nobody deserved to go through something like that. He couldn't even begin to imagine how awful it had to be in her situation. If something like that happened to Zack, his best friend... Terra didn't think he could survive that.

Speaking of which, Zack had called him crazy for pulling a stunt like that. Why write her short little notes when you could just walk over to her, sit down, and ask her for one date? (In case you were wondering: yeah, that was totally the way Zack would approach a girl. His victims were often so flabbergasted that they accepted his suggestion before they realized what they had done.) But Terra told him over and over again that this girl wasn't anything like any other girl, so she should be treated as special as she was.

"Well, I still think you're crazy. I just would've asked her for a date. It's much easier and more effective," the raven-haired man told him.

"I'm sure it is, Zack."

* * *

_Dear T.P. (Tired Princess?__ You do look like one if you ask me, especially when it comes to your beauty)__,_

_That's awful, and my thoughts go out to you and your friend. I really hope he wakes up soon. Just don't give up hope yet; you may never know when a miracle happens._

_I hope you keep me up to date._

_-B. Positive_

_P.S.: Don't think I didn't catch that smile yesterday. Looks like you're making progress._

Before Aqua could stop herself, she had to smile. She didn't know who this guy was, but he was _good_. Not only that, but she noticed how she was starting to like him more and more...and he probably knew it, too.

* * *

_Dear Mister (Miss?) Cautiously Optimistic,_

_I will, but only if you tell me your name. It's only fair and we don't know each other anyway, so you don't have to be afraid of me finding out who you are (and what your motives are)._

_-Wondering_

_P.S.: Be careful what you say, because the more you say, the easier it will be for me to find out your identity, with or without a name._

She couldn't help but move into the dangerous territory that was called borderline flirting. It just happened. Sure, she was still polite to him, but she'd become a lot less formal with him as time passed.

* * *

When she didn't find any post-it tucked under the window the next day, she was afraid that she'd scared him away. The bluenette didn't know why, but it made her feel...sad and disappointed. She'd gotten her hopes up without realizing it, but that had caused the guy to distance himself from her. If only she could turn back time, then she wouldn't have asked for a name.

However, when she stepped into the train the next day and walked over to her usual seat, she noticed the familiar bright yellow piece of paper. Her heart started racing and her cheeks were glowing. She wasted no time reading it.

_Dear Wondering,_

_My apologies for not replying sooner; I missed the train yesterd__ay be__cause our classes were running out. I had to wait half an hour in the biting cold to take the next one (I forgot my scarf and gloves). And they still say that winter's finally over..._

_I did notice your new scarf, though. It looks good on you._

_And I'm a Mr. actually. Thought you might like to know._

_-Terra_

_P.S.: Now that you know my name, can I know yours? It would only be fair, after all. I mean, I know your favorite candy. Isn't that reason enough?_

Aqua stared at the last word on the note. _Terra_... Was that really his real name? Certainly not what she had expected. But it sounded nice. Warm and a tad bit mysterious too.

* * *

_Dear Terra,_

_Thank you. It was a present from my friend. I'd like to think he's still here with me as I wear it._

_And nice try, Terra. You don't think I'm really going to fall for that, do you? Unlike you, I have no idea who writes these messages. How can I know how to trust you when I only have a name and no face to go with it? You could be an old, sixty-year-old guy for all I know._

_-Keep Guessing_

_P.S.: For a Mr., you have a nice handwriting, even if it looks a little rushed. Why in such a hurry? Are you hiding something?_

* * *

_Dear Lovely Fleur,_

_(Fleur as in 'Flower') At least I tried. I know it might take some time, but I'm patient... I hope. And I guess I'll have to call you 'Lovely Fleur' from now on, because I don't think names like 'Sarah' or 'Lina' fit you._

_As for you not knowing what I look like, I can guarantee you that I'm not that old. But if it helps, you could always just use your imagination and tell me what you think I look like based on what you've read about me so far._

_-Terra_

_P.S.: I'll take that as a compliment (because you haven't seen what my real rushed handwriting is like. You'd feel sorry for all the teachers that had to correct my tests.)._

_P.P.S.: Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. We all have our secrets, but if I tell you what it is, it won't be a secret anymore._

_P.P.P.S.: How can I trust you with a secret if you won't tell me your name? :P_

What a strange way was it to keep contact through post-its. But she couldn't deny that it was certainly soothing. It felt so nice to be able to talk about Ven and other random stuff to someone she didn't know, someone who wouldn't judge her. An ordinary stranger, who actually listened to her. But as nice as it felt, she also wanted to know who the person behind those sweet words was. It had to be someone that was sitting on this train near her, otherwise he couldn't have been able to see her smile. Not only that, but the person had to step into the train before her and step out after her. That was the only way she could explain why nobody ever decided to mess with the post-its and why she never saw him pick them up, either...

The bluenette glanced around her nonchalantly, trying for the umpteenth time to find out who this mysterious stranger was. This time, an old man with a long beard and glasses was sitting opposite from her. His long blue robe gave him a slightly eccentric look, reminding her of a wizard, but his cerulean-blue eyes still had that mischievous twinkle in them that told her otherwise. He was holding a book in his hands, but because of his thumb being on the title, she only guess that it was about some cartoon. When their eyes met, he smiled kindly at her. Automatically, Aqua found herself smiling back, before swiftly averting her gaze. This time, she couldn't see the man with the toothpick who always took this train. So the only other person was the handsome brunet young man, who was reading a book now.

It had to be him, especially because he said in one of his post-its that his classes were running out, and this guy looked like the only person on this train who was around her age. That, and the fact that he'd always been present when she got those post-its made it quite obvious. Oh, and not to mention that he was holding his book upside down. She suppressed a laugh at that.

_Busted_, she thought.

It had taken her six little notes from him, and exactly two weeks, to see the signs and realize that the answers were right in front of her. But now, she couldn't refuse them. He probably didn't know that she'd come to this conclusion, so she might as well just surprise him. But for now, she would keep her cards to herself.

After taking her pen out of her bag, she started scribbling down her reply.

_Dear Terra,_

_Touché._

_I'd like to think that you're a student. I like to imagine that you have these deep, coba__lt-bl__ue eyes and dark brown, slightly spiky hair. It would fit your name and the blue of your eyes would stand for your kindness. I bet you're tall and strong, but mostly quiet and serious...until people get to know you. You might also be the perfect older brother material, judging from your writing style and the silly jokes that I've grown to like._

_All in all, I think my friend would admire you, and you could become great friends._

_-Your Fleur_

* * *

Terra smiled as he read her reply. Really, she was too sweet. It made him want to get up and just hug the living daylights out of her. But that would probably cause her to use pepper spray against him...in the best scenario. In the worst case, she would knock him out with that heavy bag of hers.

_Dear Fleur,_

_That's close enough, much closer than you think. In fact, I'm at a complete loss of words after reading this._

_Also, you should become a writer. You have a way with words that could win over the coldest of hearts._

_-Pleasantly Surprised_

Quite honestly, Terra wasn't sure if he should be worried about being discovered. Then again, she'd never shown any signs that made it obvious that she knew who he was. Her eyes were always searching for that one person. They seemed to look right through him sometimes. But if she'd found out this fast...why wasn't she pushing him away? Was that a good sign?

_I just had to go and make it more complicated for myself, huh?_ he thought, groaning inwardly.

* * *

_Dear Pleasantly Surprised,_

_That's because I might know much more about you than you think._

_That being said, would you mind saying hi to me tomorrow, and maybe sit next to me for a while? It might take away some of your boredom (the one that you feigned to have the first time you left me one of your lovely little notes). I could give you a yellow gummi bear so you can see for yourself how great they taste. It might also be better than typing away on your mobile phone, or reading the same lines over and over again in that blue book that you carried with you a few days ago (I wonder, did you notice that you were holding it upside down? Or were you doing that on purpose to leave me a clue?)_

_-Aqua (In case you were wondering, that's my real name.)_

Terra's mouth dropped open. He could only think one thing,_ she knew_! She had seen everything he'd done for the past few days. She'd found out and he felt like an idiot for thinking that he could keep this up for months.

"God, what do I do now?" he muttered, feeling panic bubbling up in his throat.

Was he supposed to say hello to her now? But wouldn't that be weird? On the other side, he should've known that it would get this far one day. What else was he expecting, to keep on passing notes for the rest of their lives?

_Well, hadn't that been the original plan?_

But what if she didn't like him? He'd always thought that he had a weird forehead; what if that turned her off? Would she be mad at him for approaching her like that? So many questions plagued his mind and he knew that there was only one way to find the answers to all of them. He would have to man up and ask her.

* * *

This was, without a doubt, the hardest thing he'd had to do in his life so far. He knew that there was no turning back now, but that didn't chase him away.

Taking a deep breath, Terra stopped walking and coughed to get Aqua's attention. She looked up and when their eyes met, Terra's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't do this. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet. He- Oh, screw it!

"Hi, uh... Would you mind if I sat down here?" Terra asked, pointing at the vacant spot next to her.

The blue-haired young woman broke into the most radiant smile he'd ever seen, making his heart skip a beat or two. "About time you asked... Terra."

* * *

When Terra suddenly felt how someone wrapped their arms around him, he returned to reality, only to realize that he already was at the library.

When did he even get here without him noticing? He sure spaced out a lot.

"What were you thinking of?" Aqua asked, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Her breath tickled him slightly, but he didn't dare to move away, scared that she might stop embracing him. Her hugs always made him feel better, no matter what.

"Of how we first met," he replied truthfully, before continuing in a more teasing voice. "Of course, I could see right away how you were a bookworm, but I never thought it would be this bad."

"Hey!" she protested with a cute pout.

"But that's okay," he continued, as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I like all those silly little quirks of yours, anyway. I mean, I do, now that I finally got used to them."

This earned him a hard smack on the arm, which was quickly followed by a kiss on the lips. So he wasn't complaining.

* * *

**A/N: And they lived a happily ever after. Of course, stuff like this never happens in real life. XD Also, kudos to whoever can guess who the people in the train are. :)**

**Next chapter: _The fact that she had started such a _****meaningless** conversation, made him perk his ears and look up from the book he was reading. He could tell that something was terribly wrong. She was very upset, but put on her brave face, for him.


	13. Meaningless

**A/N: This chapter is inspired by a picture on deviantart, from =CaxceberXVI. Obviously, Terra and Aqua are very young here and Aqua has just become a pupil.**

**Link: caxceberxvi. deviantart. c 0m/ art / Cooties - 358203763 (Just remove the spaces and chance the zero in "c0m" into the letter o. Don't you just hate it when this site is being difficult? :P )**

**Thanks************************************************: TopazDragon98, tennisdesi91, Amulet Misty, 7th Scale, RealmOfDawn, AuthoressSai, ****InomaCallain, Walker of Nothing, roobaby2011, IscreamIcecream, Akari Neko-chan, gamings-reminiscence, DragonBlueRose, Child Of The West Wind, Thasiloron, **and My5tic-Lali,************************************** my lovely beta re********************************************ader. :)**

* * *

~ _The fact that she had started such a **meaningless** conversation, made him perk his ears and look up from the book he was reading. He could tell that something was terribly wrong. She was very upset, but put on her brave face, for him. _~

* * *

**M.** - **Meaningless**

"So...do you like shy and quiet girls more than hyper ones?"

Terra blinked. "Uh... _what_?" he asked, giving the bluenette girl a rather puzzled look.

The fact that she had started such a **meaningless** conversation made him perk his ears and look up from the book he was reading. He could tell that something was terribly wrong. She was very upset, but put on her brave face, for him.

Seriously, what was it with this girl and wanting to look strong for him?

Aqua seemed to_ like_ like Terra, _a lot_, because she followed him everywhere. But ever since he got a little mad at her for doing that and annoying the heck out of him, she just hadn't been herself.

"_Stop stalking me all the friggin' time, okay! Can't I be alone for even three seconds?! Geez, you're so annoying, leave me alone!_"

Yes, those had been very harsh words and he wasn't proud of it.

On the contrary; Terra didn't think that he'd ever be able to forget those startlingly blue eyes filled with tears and the way she'd looked at him when he'd started yelling at her; like a lost, kicked puppy. That was when he had regretted his actions and had pleaded, "Don't cry, I didn't really mean it!"

"I uh...nothing. Never mind. I'm going to train a little on my battle stance," she said softly as she got up from the comfortable sofa she had perched on.

With that, she rushed out of the room, probably to go outside and practice her moves like she had said. And of course, when she left, Terra couldn't concentrate on his book _at all_. He sighed wearily, not liking the way Aqua was influencing his thoughts. Not even five minutes had passed when the brunet boy decided to give up on reading and check out what Aqua was doing all this time.

The air outside was warm and clear, like always. It was the kind of weather that made you want to sit outside until it was so dark that the sky was pitchblack, filled with brilliant stars. The average person would think that it was too hot for training, but the two pupils were more than used to it. Besides, they'd had _much_ worse than this. This was only extremely pleasant to them, honestly.

Meanwhile, Aqua was going through the stance Master Eeaqus had taught her, trying to complete the series of movements, only to stumble, off-balance, before she finished.

Terra stopped only when he was close enough to Aqua to see that pained expression on her face, but still far away enough so that she wouldn't accidentally knock him on the head with her Keyblade.

At that moment, she let out an exasperated sigh. "I _can't_ do it!"

She looked so powerless that even Terra started to feel slightly bad for the girl.

"You've gotta put your left leg more to the front and straighten your elbows," Terra began, and Aqua jumped, startled. "Like this."

He stood next to her and got into the stance that he meant. Aqua watched him quietly, trying to take in every little detail she could find, and comparing it with her own performance. It was obvious that Terra knew a lot more than she did.

"Okay, your turn. Try it out."

He stepped back as Aqua nodded. She did as she was told and tried to keep her leg and elbows exactly like Terra did. Suddenly, she charged forward and twisted through the air at the same time, after which she landed perfectly on her feet, exactly as she had been trying to.

Terra nodded and smiled, pleased with the bluenette's performance. "There, you see? It's a piece of cake, once as you know what to do."

Smiling brightly, the petite girl did a rather impressive victorious jump in the air, looking happier than Terra had seen her in quite a while now. "I did it!" Aqua exclaimed, seeming almost unbelieving at her own talent.

"Well, good for you, then," Terra replied, slightly amused, but also somewhat proud of his friend.

It was probably on a whim, but Aqua's Keyblade dematerialized and she leaned in slightly to give Terra a kiss on the cheek before hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much, Terra! I wouldn't have done that without your help."

His wooden Keyblade fell out of his hand. "I uh... I...you're welcome?" he stuttered.

Terra's cheeks matched the color of a tomato and he couldn't help but be entirely _grossed out _at the fact that she'd just given him cooties by kissing him!

But it had felt nice...sort of.

Though he'd rather die a billion painful deaths than admit that to anyone!

* * *

**A/N: And with that, we're halfway through this collection! :D**

**Next chapter: _"Is that _****natural**?" he asks, brushing some of Aqua's blue bangs out of her eyes, his fingertips touching her cheekbone lightly. It amuses Terra to no end that such a small gesture, a touch as light as a white feather, has such a great impact on her, for her cheeks turn a faint pink the moment their skin make contact, and he chuckles.


	14. Natural

**A/N: A very, VERY late Christmas giftfic for the amazing Luckcharm (seriously people, check out her stuff). I tried to write it in present tense, but I'm not too excited about it. Probably never going to do it again, either. XD Either way, hope you like it!**

**Thanks************************************************: TopazDragon98, 7th Scale, IllusionalNightmares, 00Alyss00, tennisdesi91, QuantumMelody, FalchionLD5, and A.******************************************** :)**

* * *

~ _"Is that **natural**?" he asks, carefully brushing some of Aqua's blue bangs out of her eyes, his fingertips touching her cheekbone lightly. It amuses Terra to no end that such a small gesture, a touch as light as a feather, has such a great impact on her, for her cheeks turn a faint pink the moment their skin make contact, and he chuckles._~

* * *

**N.** - **Natural**

"Hey... Is that **natural**?" he asks, carefully brushing some of Aqua's blue bangs out of her eyes, his fingertips touching her cheekbone lightly. The softness of her hair is marvelling.

It amuses Terra to no end that such a small gesture, a touch as light as a feather, has such a great impact on her, for her cheeks turn a faint pink the moment their skin make contact, and he chuckles.

Honestly, who cares about the eventual answer when something like this happens in front of his very eyes? It's moments like this that she just makes him want to grab her and kiss her until he feels light-headed from the impact...and then some. Not that he's ever going to tell her that.

Suddenly, a loud cough interrupts his train of thoughts. Terra looks up. His heart skips a beat when he sees that Master Eraqus is standing in the doorway, that unreadable expression directed to him, making him feel as though he has committed the worst crime imaginable. He has to wonder how long the man has been practising that look of pure doom in front of the mirror before deciding to share it with the world. Or rather, with his beloved pupils.

And then the man's words hit him like a brick, "Terra, may I have a quick word with you?"

"Uh, sure, Master."

With the slightest hint of reluctance, he gets up, away from Aqua's warmth, only to follow the Master to his office. By the looks of it, they are not going to talk about the weather.

Before Terra even has a chance to sit down, Master Eraqus asks solemnly, "Terra, do you have feelings for Aqua?"

His cobalt blue eyes widen instantly. "Uh..."

All the brunet can think is,_ Dammit, he knows... Now what?_

"I-I uhm..."

Master Eraqus's eyes never leave Terra's form and it's making him more nervous than he dares to admit. Has it really been that obvious, all of his affectionate teasing? Or is it more that he's like an open book to the Master because he's practically been raised by him? Maybe Aqua mentioned it?

No, Aqua would never do that.

Master Eraqus sighs. "I see. The reason I'm asking you this is because we can't have something happen to any of you. I hope you remember the story of Master Riun and Xiko. Such feelings would only make the teamwork between the two of you hard, which could have disastrous consequences."

Terra nods, finally looking away. "Yes, I do."

"Then you know what to do."

"Yes... I understand, Master."

The mission was clear: he has to get Aqua out of his head. The question is, is he able to do so?

* * *

**A/N: Duh, of course Master Eraqus would have noticed at one point. He's not stupid. XD**

**Next chapter: _"I'm not going to let you go out all alone in the dark," Terra said firmly. " Don't you think you're a little on the _****overprotective** side here?" Aqua asked. Sure, it was really annoying that he was acting like he was her brother, or something, but it also was kinda...cute. "No," he replied, "And why are you smiling?"


End file.
